1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cutting fluid ejection apparatus for removing chips which are adhered to a tool of a processing machine such as a NC lathe, a milling machine, or a drilling machine, or a workpiece to be processed.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a cutting fluid ejection apparatus for removing chips which are adhered to a tool of a processing machine such as a NC lathe, a milling machine, or a drilling machine, or a workpiece to be processed (see, JP-A-Hei. 8-243876, for example). This cutting fluid ejection apparatus includes a coolant liquid supply nozzle and a motor for rotationally driving the coolant liquid supply nozzle.
This cutting fluid ejection apparatus is configured to remove the chips which are adhered to the tool of the processing machine or the workpiece by rotationally driving the coolant liquid supply nozzle and supplying a cutting fluid to the tool or workpiece. However, if complex-shaped chips are tangled or caught to the tool or the workpiece, there needs an extra work that the processing machine including the cutting fluid ejection apparatus is temporarily stopped and an operator manually removes the chips. For this reason, there is a problem that the processing machine cannot be continuously operated and thus the processing time cannot be shortened.
In the meantime, there has been known a cutting fluid ejection apparatus capable of removing the chips without stopping the cutting fluid ejection apparatus and the processing machine, even when such chips are tangled or caught to the tool or the workpiece (for example, see JP-A-Hei. 10-118884). This cutting fluid ejection apparatus includes a coolant liquid supply nozzle, a motor for rotationally driving the coolant liquid supply nozzle, and a cutting fluid supply pump. The cutting fluid ejection apparatus is configured to remove the chips by rotationally driving the coolant liquid supply nozzle while adjusting an ejection pressure of the cutting fluid by controlling a pump pressure. However, this cutting fluid ejection apparatus requires a large-size pump for adjusting the ejection pressure of the cutting fluid. Therefore, there is problem that cost of the apparatus is increased and thus cost reduction cannot be achieved.
FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a general configuration of a related-art cutting fluid ejection apparatus 5. The cutting fluid ejection apparatus 5 supplies a cutting fluid 190 (also serving as a cooling fluid) to a tool 151 of a processing machine including a NC lathe 160 and removes chips adhered to the tool 151 of the processing machine. The cutting fluid ejection apparatus 5 includes a cutting fluid supply device 120 and a controller 130. The cutting fluid supply device 120 is configured to move a cutting fluid ejection nozzle tip 110a at a constant speed Vo in a predetermined angular range by rotationally driving a cutting fluid ejection nozzle 110 to eject the cutting fluid 190. The controller 130 controls the driving of a motor installed in the cutting fluid supply device 120 and the ejection of the cutting fluid 190. The tool 151 is held to a tool holding part 150.
In this cutting fluid ejection apparatus 5, since the cutting fluid ejection nozzle tip 110a is moved at a constant speed Vo in a predetermined angular range, complex-shaped chips which are generated from a workpiece 161 cut by the tool 151 may be caught to the tool 151 and thus may not be removed, even if the cutting fluid is ejected to the tool 151.